While depression can be debilitating - I definitely don’t want to minimize its seriousness - it’s important for readers to meet role models who successfully manage their mental health and manage to achieve their familial and career ambitions.
The widow of Guess How Much I Love You? author Sam McBratney was on Antiques Roadshow to get her first edition of the book appraised.
We're having our very first publisher preview of books from Enchanted Lion. Be ready! These are some seriously gorgeous titles.
Our Heavy Medal Reader's Poll starts today! In this one, we invite all Heavy Medal Readers to submit a ballot.
I do hate that I’ll miss the panel discussing the latest edition of The Handbook of Black Librarianship. I have a chapter in it that contextualizes the contributions of Black librarians in the field of youth literature.
Check out this week's new list of comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Mr. Muffins Defender of the Stars from Oni Press and Very Bad at Math from HarperAlley.
I’ve been thinking for a while about the question of how stories relate to truth.
You can watch the announcements of the 2025 Newbery, Caldecott, and many more from the comfort of your own (possibly homemade) computer.
The Supreme Court will hear the case of Maryland parents who want their kids to be able to leave the classroom when materials with LGBTQIA+ characters are used by educators, an Idaho public library system creates "adult only" room and ends the ability for children to access other branches in the system, and more in censorship news.
A Dangerous Idea marks the 100th anniversary of the Scopes Trial, which involved a debate over free speech, education, science, and religion with larger-than-life characters and less-than-pure motives.
Everyone wins when public libraries collaborate with these preschool programs, which are funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and implemented through local agencies.
An interview with the creators of a graphic novel that explores the linguistic insecurity that so many American-born Hispanics who don’t speak Spanish face today.
Take a look at the five titles the HMAC committee selected to discuss and vote on during the free Zoom Webcast on Friday January 24th.
Looking ahead to children's literature in 2025!
This week on the podcast, the James Marshall Fox series had multiple volumes, so which one would be the best to do with Kate? The one where they all smoke cigars? God. It's like you know me.
On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed H.R. 3706, officially creating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a federal holiday. The federal holiday established that Martin Luther King, Jr. Day would be nationally commemorated and observed as a holiday for federal employees. Almost a decade later, on August 23, 1994 the holiday was transformed […]
Starting January 20th, you have a chance to help with relief efforts to those affected by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.
As we enter the final week of Heavy Medal discussions there are lots of dates and deadlines to keep an eye on!
Chris Giarrusso's Mini Marvels, short strips parodying Marvel Comics' characters and particular storylines, return in a new collection.
This list of recent-ish middle grade titles looks at gun violence in places that include schools but also take place in other spaces.
January starts strong with a new book from Gayle Forman, two graphic novels, and several audio titles spanning ages and genres.
I'm not talking about what I want to win, necessarily, but what I think WILL win. So buckle up and enjoy this crazy ride . . .
The last book we'll discuss in our Mock Newbery is THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN by Gennifer Choldenko. It's been a favorite all year long of many Heavy Medal readers and now it's time to explore why.
Deeply affecting and beautifully written, this look at the lengths women will go to to protect and aid one another is a necessary and exceptional read.
And as an author, I’ve had the privilege of seeing the effect teachers and librarians have every time I visit a school.
The latest children's literature-related postage stamp is coming in 2025.
These books—which share stories of real and fictional people and animals who have endured wildfires—can provide information and comfort to children and teens.
These books are the best of the Rise committee's selection of "well-written and well-illustrated books with significant feminist content for young readers."
An attempt to add Angel of Greenwood to the high school language arts curriculum was rejected by the Pine-Richland School Board, Florida's censorship attempts move to public libraries, and more in censorship news.
Who amongst you remembers the picture book You Broke It! by New Yorker cartoonist Liana Finck when it was released last year? Welp, Finck's back with a whole new title, and I've got the fancy dancy spread to prove it.
Teen librarian Cindy Shutts walks us through a Wicked themed fan party
Yesterday, Diamond Comics Distributors, a pillar of the comics retail system, filed for Chapter 11 bankrupcy. Here's a look at the implications for readers and publishers.
Jasmine Warga's A STRANGE THING HAPPENED IN CHERRY HILL "excels at great characters, a keep-you-guessing plot and felt very appropriately interpreted for its intended audience," writes Heavy Medal Award Committee member Lauren Taylor. Join the Mock Newbery discussion and see how this middle grade mystery holds up among other contenders for the 2025 Medal.
Science makes you think, but like art or literature, it can also make you laugh, dream, see and appreciate the world, or even just your own brain, in new, exciting ways.
The world's first (?) exclusive case cover reveal!
A longtime Printz observer (and former committee member) considers some of the underdog titles that could win this year.
How do you write a picture book about a man who made picture books? A deep dive into the creation of the one and only JIM! (a.k.a. James Marshall).
Gale Galligan's latest graphic novel is a fictionalized account of their childhood, featuring an unrepentant goofball of a character starting over in a new school and facing new challenges that can't be run away from.
If there’s one takeaway I’d like all readers to get, it’s that they matter, just as they are, and they deserve to follow their dreams.
Now up for discussion in our Heavy Medal Mock Newbery: QUAGMIRE TIARELLO COULDN'T BE BETTER by Mylisa Larsen. Heavy Medal Award Committee Member Janeé Jackson-Doering notes that "this book tackles themes of growing up, anger, first love, mental illness and anxiety through wry humor."
It's the rare anthology where every story feels strong, and this one certainly achieves that. A great read about love of all kinds around the world and throughout time. Definitely check it out!
Author Shelly Page shares her thoughts about representation and her newest release, BREWED WITH LOVE
My reading hopes for 2025 . . .
In her quest to get teens reading at the Fort Worth (TX) Public Library, librarian Karen Jensen uses music as the foundation for readers' advisory.
Veronica Bane, YA author and high school English teacher, is calling on the publishing and kid lit community to help those impacted by the fires.
From a pizza-eating dragon to a detailed look at the causes of climate change, these Spanish-language works offer young readers engaging stories and magical high jinks.
I am absolutely in love with Mafalda and soon, my friends, you will be too. Translated into English for the first time, I talk with the people who have given her life here in the States.
Author Karen Valby discusses her book, THE SWANS OF HARLEM
Teen Librarian Karen Jensen shares a new study on the lives of teen girls
Now up for discussion in our Heavy Medal Mock Newbery: the only graphic novel title PLAIN JANE AND THE MERMAIDS by Vera Brosgol.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Chickenpox from Henry Holt and Paws Hazel Has Her Hands Full from Putnam.
Being a late bloomer is not a sign of failure, but a testament to the unique growth that is allowed when we give ourselves the grace to bloom in our own time.
My predictions for 2025 Caldecott glory
Hooray! With the ALA Youth Media Awards on the near horizon (Monday, January 27th at 8 a.m. MT to be precise) it’s never been a better time to debate some possible winners of the Caldecott Award. Today, I hand over to Kate an unprecedented FOUR possible contenders.
It's never a bad time to pull out a good book for a little inspiration.
Looking ahead to children's literature in 2025 . . .
They may offer you lots of cheap thrills / fancy condos in Beverly Hills / but whatever they offer you don't trust the fish!
Can a horror novel for children contend for the Newbery Medal?. Anne Ursu's NOT QUITE A GHOST is a Heavy Medal Mock Newbery finalist
What's new in the world of READ posters?
A coming-of-age tale of a teen girl who discovers she's half-dragon.
5 new middle grade novels to add to your 2025 TBR!
My hope is that my book adds to the canon of mythological stories so that more kids can find themselves reflected in the story, especially kids that might have grown used to feeling “othered.”
Alicia D. Williams won a Newbery Honor in 2020 for her first novel. Her newest book, MID-AIR, is a Heavy Medal Mock Newbery finalist.
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